Unexpected Revenge
by Sarun
Summary: Just when life is getting back to normal for Misao, a stranger appears, threatening to reveal a dark secret from Misao's past. How can Misao keep her secret when Aoshi's life is in danger?
1. Revenge and Regrets

Unexpected Revenge

By Sarun

* * *

CHAPTER ONE:

Revenge and Regrets

A girl walked alone down a deserted forest path. It wouldn't be long now; Kyoto was just over that last hill.

She smiled nervously to herself as the city of Kyoto slowly came into view. Pressing the sword she carried against her chest with both hands, she took a deep breath.

_Finally, the time has come, Misao Makimachi. You'll regret ever crossing paths with us. _

It had been a long time - far too long, in her opinion, but the time had finally come for her unexpected revenge.

Making her way through the empty streets of the city, a sudden cold breeze blew past. Stopping to draw her cloak around herself more tightly, she froze at the sound of approaching footsteps.

It was a police officer, obviously on night patrol. Taking a nervous step backwards, she accidentally stepped on some twigs, resulting in a loud cracking sound. "Who's there?" The policeman called out, raising his lantern.

A girl came into view in the dim light. She looked about fifteen; with dark brown hair and a cold look upon her pretty face.

"What's that you have there?" The policeman caught sight of the sword in her hands. "It's illegal to carry swords, you know! Hand that over right now, or I'll have you arrested!"

The girl frowned. He had nothing to do with her, but she had come too far to be caught now. There was no other choice.

In the blink of an eye, she drew the blade, holding it at her side. "If you want it, come and get it."

The policeman walked towards her, placing his hand on his police saber. "I don't have time to play games, miss. You're under arres-!"

A brief second later, his head flew off in a flash of blood, and rolled to a stop on the street. The rest of his body collapsed in a heap.

She lowered her sword, gazing at the lifeless body in front of her.

The girl pulled out a note from her pocket, which she placed on the policeman's back, securing it in place with a shuriken.

"I wasn't planning on leaving the note like this" she muttered under her breath "but it'll work better".

Sheathing her sword, she calmly continued on her way.

* * *

"NO!" 

It took Misao a moment to realize she had been dreaming.

"It was a dream, just a dream…"

She plopped back down onto the bed, wiping away the sweat on her forehead. Once she had clamed down slightly, she tried to recall what had happened in her dream.

It was a about that night. The night almost a year ago. There was no doubt about it, she had sent he forest clearing, the burning torch… she had had the dream before.

But this time it had been different. In this dream there was a dark figure…somebody threatening…and…had wanted to hurt…no _kill_ her.

Taking a deep breath, she scolded herself: "Stop it, just stop it…It's in the past…"

Still, she knew perfectly the barrier of time between past and present gave little protection.

* * *

Misao blinked in the early morning light as she walked down the street. A gentle breeze started up, making the sakura trees sway and several pink blossoms were carried off in the wind. 

She snatched a few blossoms out of the air with ease, and then looked at them in her hand. She smiled, thinking of Aoshi.

Ever since Aoshi-sama had come to fetch her from Tokyo barely a week ago along with Omasu and Ochika, Misao had felt a new sense of hope, hope that Aoshi-sama had feelings for her as well.

Aoshi-sama had been spending most of each day in the temple, as usual, but that didn't dampen her hopes.

Okina had sent her out to the store to buy some tofu. When she arrived at the store, she found a large crowd gathered in the street, with police officers trying to move the crowd.

She pushed through the crowd curiously, hearing bits and pieces of conversation:

"He must have been attacked during the night…"

"His head was cut clean off the neck"

"Who would do this?"

Misao made it through the crowd and gasped, slapping a hand to her mouth.

A decapitated policeman lay in the street in a pool of blood. His head was a few feet away, with an expression of pure fear on it.

Misao saw a bloodstained piece of paper suck to his back with a shuriken. She read it from a distance, and paled with silent terror.

**To the one responsible for the death of Tsuna Hanawa: **

**I have come to avenge the death of my brother. **

**I'll find you. **

It took Misao about half a minute to realize she wasn't breathing.

_Breathe…_she told herself...breathe

Her mind blank, Misao took a few steps backward, then turned and bolted through the crowd, not even bothering to apologize to anyone.

_Nothing's happened…this isn't happening…No…No…NO!_

Running through the main street, Misao tried uselessly to suppress the rising feeling of panic in her chest.

Misao made it to the Aoiya, and luckily didn't run into anyone inside. She dashed up the stairs and shut herself in her room.

Her heart was beating hard against her ribcage as she stood in the far corner of the room, breathing in heavy, long breaths. She placed her face in her hands, eyes wide and fearful.

She was the one responsible. Tsuna Hanawa… She was the one the note was meant for.

_I never meant to kill him. It was an accident…I never meant…_

_But…_her thoughts contradicted themselves…_but I did cause his death._

Misao slammed her fists against the wall. Then she sank to the floor. Hugging her knees to her chest and shutting her eyes as hard as she could…she remembered…on that day, a little over a year ago…she had just turned fifteen…

* * *

Returning from another assignment, Misao walked through the forest, sulking and disappointed that she hadn't found any news of Lord Aoshi or the rest of the Oniwaban in the city she had traveled to. 

She came out into a clearing, and was surprised to see a small village. It was getting rather late, so she decided to stay at an inn for the night. She had just about enough money.

As she approached the inn, she walked past an elderly woman in tears.

"…Again…why…is this happening to us?" the woman sobbed as she walked past.

The woman was too upset to speak, so Misao left her alone. In the middle of the road, a large group of people were arguing loudly, eliminating the need to eavesdrop.

"What are we going to do next? The police are still ignoring us!" a woman argued loudly

"I say we set up a trap for him" a young man suggested

Another man shook his head. "There aren't any men here in the village who could match him in skill. Besides, remember that anyone who has stood up to him has ended up badly hurt."

And the arguing continued.

An old man tapped his walking stick loudly, so that the arguing stopped and they all turned to listen.

"Our best hope seems to be hire someone to defend us."

"But elder, where would we find someone like that in a poor area like this?"

The village elder shook his head sadly. "As to that, I have no idea."

The villagers resumed their arguing. The elder started walking away slowly.

Misao ran over to him.

"Excuse me sir, could you tell me what happening here?"

He looked over at her, and his eyes widened in surprise as he took in her appearance. He ambled over to her, lowering his voice to a whisper.

"You're a ninja, aren't you miss?" He asked quickly "Oniwaban, for sure. I know that uniform."

"Uh…yes…I am." She answered, taken aback by the question.

"Come, please come quickly." He took Misao by the hand and led her towards a house in the middle of the village.

He opened the door and motioned for her to come inside. Once she was inside, he slid the door shut and turned to face her.

"Miss, would you be willing to help us?"

"Huh?" Misao blinked.

The old man took a deep breath. "Please sit down."

He sat across from her, his hands clutched in worry. "I am Kazuma, the leader of this village. Recently, our village has been robbed several times by a bandit named Tsuna Hanawa. He has not killed anyone yet, thankfully, but he has badly injured many men that tried to fight him. Now all the villagers are afraid to face him and we have not received any help from the police. If he continues to rob us, we shall all be in grave trouble. I beg this of you, if you can defeat him, we will be willing to give you whatever you ask."

Misao's eyes narrowed. "I'll accept. I haven't met any man who could beat me yet. What can you tell me about this bandit?"

The old man thought for a moment, then answered: "Not much. I believe he is around sixteen years of age, and he fights mainly with a katana, but also carries around some smaller weapons like shuriken and is also skilled at empty-hand fighting."

Misao nodded. "Do you know when he will strike again?"

"Yes. Last time he was here, someone overhead him say he was coming back tonight."

"I'll defeat him." Misao said and stood up defiantly. "As a member of the Oniwaban group, I can't let this sort of thing happen!"

"Agreed then!" The village elder nodded. "It is better if I say nothing to the villagers; we will need this to be a surprise."

_That night…_

Misao hid in the branches of a tall tree, waiting. The old man had said that the bandit always struck at around midnight. It wouldn't be long now…

A shadow ran swiftly across the ground. Misao leapt down from the tree and followed. The figure stopped in front of a house. He reached out to pull the front door open, his other hand reaching for a sword slung over his back.

Misao threw three kunai at him. They landed neatly in a line across the door. He jumped back and stared at her.

"Who are you? Answer me!" Tsuna looked barely older than her; he had shoulder length dark brown hair that was tied in a loose ponytail.

"My name is Misao Makimachi and I'm here to stop you from robbing these villagers anymore!"

He laughed out loud. "Hah! That's funny. Whatcha gonna do?"

He drew his sword and lunged at her. Misao jumped out of the way easily onto the roof of the house.

"You'll have to do better than that, Tsuna!"

Tsuna glared at her angrily, and then leapt up onto the roof beside her. Misao barely dodged his katana that time.

She held out another fistful of kunai. She jumped back down onto the ground. Tsuna jumped down as well, but bolted past her into the woods.

"Come and get me if you can, Makimachi!"

Misao ran after him. _He's not getting away...!_

She ran through the forest, following the sounds of his footsteps. She came into a small clearing in the middle of the woods. An old shrine was in the middle of the clearing, a lone torch burning in the front of the shrine.

Tsuna was nowhere in sight.

Misao felt a sudden sharp pain in her arm. She jumped out of the way as more shuriken we thrown at her.

Ducking behind a tree, she saw two shuriken were embedded in her upper arm. Gritting her teeth in pain, she pulled them out one by one.

She ran out from behind the tree, breathing heavily. Blood was flowing down her arm, but she didn't care.

"Come down here, you rat!" she screamed into the woods.

She sensed someone coming up behind her, and turned in time to see Tsuna come up behind her with his sword raised.

Misao ducked out of the way, and threw one of her kunai in his wrist.

Tsuna cried out in pain, dropping his sword. He stopped and pulled out the kunai.

He ran at Misao, aiming a punch at her face, but Misao blocked it. Her kick hit him right in the stomach, knocking the air out of him.

Tsuna jumped backwards, towards the shrine. Misao threw more kunai this time. Tsuna dodged them all.

Tsuna had managed to pick up his sword again, and repeatedly swung at Misao. Misao kept jumping backwards until her foot hit a rock, causing her to fall onto her back.

Tsuna quickly pinned her down, and held his blade horizontally over her neck. Misao was forced to grab the sword by the blade with both hands to stop him from pushing it into her neck.

Misao's hands bled as the blade cut into the palms of her hands. She had to use all her strength to hold the blade, and it was fading. Desperately, she tried to think of what to do.

She did a rapid headbutt, and Tsuna recoiled, hands over his aching forehead.

Misao jumped to her feet, and in rage, did her Kecho kick, right into his chest. Tsuna was knocked of his feet.

The next few moments appeared to happen in slow motion. Tsuna flew several feet backward, right into the shrine. He landed hard against a wooden beam, which broke when he hit it.

When the beam gave in, several large beams of wood came falling downwards from the ceiling. Tsuna was at the foot of the broken beam holding a hand to his side, trying to get to his feet again.

Tsuna saw the beams falling towards him; he let out a yell – right before they landed with a crash right on top of him. His yell quieted almost instantly.

She walked cautiously up to him. He seemed to be pinned down by the wood, lying on his back, his eyes wide and staring blankly. He breathed in short, ragged gasps, a trickle of blood going down his chin.

"You okay?" Misao kneeled down beside him. He didn't seem to have any visible injuries. Tsuna seemed unable to speak. His hand made weak motions to push off a wood beam across his chest.

Misao managed to yank it off. She froze.

A piece of wood, as thick as her arm, protruded from his chest. The area around it was covered in blood; more was added to it with every pulse of his heart.

He glanced down his chest for a few moments. With a grimace, he lay his head back down on the floor. As she watched, his chest became still as his eyes slowly closed.

Misao was frozen to the spot, her eyes wide with fear. Comprehension slowly dawned on her.

_He – Tsuna - he was…dead…killed._

Somehow managing to get to her feet, she took a small step backwards, then another, and finally turned and ran away through the woods.

* * *

Misao heard footsteps approaching outside her door, and rushed to hide under the covers of her futon. 

"Misao?" Omasu's voice came from the other side of the door. "Did you get the tofu?"

"Uh…no, I don't feel very well right now." Misao faked a few coughs.

"Oh, alright then. I'll get it for you, don't worry. I'll tell Okina you're not feeling well."

Misao waited until the sound of her footsteps disappeared, then sat up in the futon and hugged her knees to her chest.

She also had made him promise not to tell anyone that she had done it, that she had never meant to kill him.

The village leader promised not to tell, none of the villagers would know what had happened.

Misao had had her wounds bandaged by the village doctor, and she set off for Kyoto a day later.

She had never told anyone what had happened. She had told Okina the marks on her arms were from thorns on a tree she had climbed.

Now, a policeman was dead because of her. Now, Tsuna's sibling, whoever that was, was after her for revenge.

Misao stared out of the window at the blue sky. The guilt over the incident had eaten at her for a long time. Sometimes she even woke up in cold sweat, after repeated nightmares of the scene, which ended with her hands being covered in blood.

She had forced herself to push it all into the background; pretend it had never happened at all.

She definitely couldn't tell Okina and the others, it would be admitting she had killed someone, lied to them and they would get try to take the matter into their own hands.

_How would Aoshi-sama or Jiya react if they knew? _The unwelcome little voice spoke again.

She took a deep breath and fell back onto the futon. She would have to face this by herself

There was no other way.

* * *

Yone Hanawa sat at the end of a secluded alley, gently polishing the blade of her sword. Her older brother's sword, actually. 

It had belonged to him; she had taken it after he died a year ago.

She had watched his last fight with that Makimachi girl from a tree in the woods. I wasn't fair that he had died…Tsuna had never killed a single person in his life.

But that girl…it was Misao's fault he had died.

After the fight, she had buried him in a remote location in the forest, where no one would disturb his grave. She had sworn on her life that she would kill that Makimachi girl.

After his death, she ran away, far from that place. Swearing to get stronger, she had spent nearly a year honing her skills and practicing everything her brother had taught her about fighting.

And now, the time had come. Revenge would be hers.

Yone stared out at the blue sky.

_It won't be long now, brother… _

Yone returned to polishing the blade. She held it up to the light, and gazed at her reflection in it.

The sooner she attacked the better.

* * *

It's my first fanfic - hope I'm doing okay

- Sarun


	2. An Eye for an Eye

Unexpected Revenge

By Sarun

* * *

CHAPTER TWO:

An Eye for an Eye

Misao stayed in her room all morning, only coming downstairs when Okina offered to call the doctor to see what was wrong with her.

Coming down the stairs, Misao knew the others would definitely be talking about the murder of the policeman.

Upon hearing their voices in the kitchen, she stopped at the foot of the stairs. Hesitant, she bit her lip, but once again decided she had to keep her mouth shut.

"Feeling better?" Omasu asked when she appeared in the kitchen.

"Uh-yeah, I am." Misao forced herself to seem normal.

"Well, come on now, your lunch will get cold." Okina called from the table.

Misao sat down at the table, but the image of the headless police officer was stuck in her mind. She took a piece of food to her mouth, but could hardly chew.

"Did you know a police officer was murdered last night?" Okina asked Misao.

Misao nearly choked on the shrimp she had been chewing, and after some major coughing, said: "N-no, I had no idea."

All the others began talking at once, but Misao remained silent, her hands clenched into fists on her lap.

"Apparently, the one who killed the police officer left a note. It seems they are after someone who killed Tsuna Hanawa, whoever that was." Okina continued.

Misao picked at her food with her chopsticks aimlessly. She couldn't eat another bite, so she cast about wildly for some excuse to leave.

"I'm going to the temple to see Aoshi-sama." she said quickly, and headed out the front door before anyone could say anything.

Okina frowned. _Misao isn't behaving like herself today…_Normally; she would have been suspicious and alert about this sort of news…

* * *

Setting out at a brisk pace, Yone, headed out into the streets of Kyoto. She had left her things hidden back in the alley, but she carried a neatly hidden set of four-point shuriken.

She glanced at the faces of people bustling about, looking for the face she could recall almost perfectly.

Stopping a passing flower vendor, Yone asked if she knew of a Misao Makimachi. The flower vendor nodded. "She lives about two streets away, in the Aoiya restaurant."

Yone thanked the woman and walked on, her eyes narrowed.

The streets of Kyoto were crowded, as usual. The policeman's body had already been removed. A few other policemen were walking around the scene, looking for clues or something.

As Misao approached, she felt a fresh wave of guilt and uneasiness wash though her.

There was still a large blood stain on the ground, which was scarcely covered by the straw mat over it but would have to remain there until the searching of the area for clues was complete.

Misao walked slowly, finally stopping nearby to watch the activity. She stood with her arms crossed, thinking. Had the policeman been killed out of spite to anger her? Or had the policeman tried to apprehend the individual responsible?

Misao shook her head in frustration. There was no way of knowing until she could find out who was chasing her. Until then there was nothing that could be done.

Yone approached the area where the murder had occurred. Seeing all the policemen made her edgy, although she knew there was no was she would be suspected. Deciding to take the back alley to go around, she headed towards a small side path beside a house.

Passing through the back alley, she glanced into the main street at intervals. Out of the corner of her eyes at one time, she caught sight of a girl with a long braid of black hair.

She stopped, coming closer to take a look. There was a girl standing in the main road, staring at the crime scene with her arms crossed. The girl's face was blocked by her hair.

Yone felt the blood rush to her face as she clenched her fists involuntarily. _Calm down…_Yone told herself…_it might not be her…_

Not wanting to risk facing the wrong person, Yone headed her way to get a closer look. She emerged from the alley and walked straight past the girl with the braid.

Glancing once again at her face, she recognized Misao at once. Looking away quickly, she walked to the other side of the street and hid behind a wood column.

Her breath came out in short, angry gasps. After all this time, she had finally found her brother's killer.

Misao sensed someone staring at her. She turned her head, but saw that no one was there.

Shaking off the feeling, she returned to her train of thought.

She didn't notice Yone approach from behind.

One of the officers chased off a rat that had come over to the mat, doubtlessly drawn by the smell of blood.

Misao let out a small hiss at the sight, disgusted.

"Yes, it is sad, isn't it?" A voice beside her spoke suddenly.

Misao turned to see a girl with long brown hair standing next to her. There was a small smile playing around her lips, but it was an empty, fake one.

The girl raised her eyes slowly to hers. She had dark brown eyes. Misao couldn't place it, but she felt like she had seen those eyes somewhere before.

The girl leaned closer and whispered: "Did you find my note this morning?"

Misao froze.

She turned around to face her, but the girl was already walking away calmly into an alley by the road.

She followed her into the alley, Misao placing a careful hand on the kunais in her pocket as she went. The girl stood at the very back of the alley, arms crossed.

"Well, well, we meet at last."

"Who are you?" Misao demanded

At this, Yone looked Misao straight in the eye. "You might remember me as the shuriken throwing rat?" she smirked. "My name is Yone. Tsuna's sister. I believe you found my note this morning?"

"You had no reason to kill that policeman! You're problem is with me, Yone!"

"I could say the same to you, Misao. My brother may have been a thief, but at least he never stole anyone's life."

Misao took a deep breath. "I never meant to kill your brother. It was an accident. I'm sorry."

"That's a lie!" Yone shouted, "I was there, in the forest! I saw everything!"

"I don't want to fight you, Yone. I know its revenge you're after. If you continue to threaten people in Kyoto, I'll have to turn on you."

After a moments thought, she added: "With the Oniwaban group behind me."

Yone took an involuntary step back. _Misao was the leader of the Oniwaban group?_

"So you're chickening out, is that what you're saying? Too scared to face me by yourself?" she snapped.

Misao added: "I'm sorry Yone. I really am. But I won't get myself into this type of fight."

At this, Misao turned and walked away quickly. Yone remained where she was, shaking with suppressed rage.

"Fine. Fine, Misao. Be that way. You will fight me, one way or another. Just wait and see…" Yone whispered.

Misao watched Yone leave the alley from behind a large wooden crate where she was hiding. Yone walked away at a rapid pace, her face set.

Misao knew perfectly well someone like Yone would need more than a threat to back off. She had to make sure to stay clear of the Aoiya as long as she could. Should Yone attempt to attack her, at least the others would not know.

She had used the Oniwaban group as an empty threat. She never had any intention of letting the rest of the group know what was going on.

* * *

Yone walked through the street, then turned and strode into the alley where she had hidden her supplies. She slumped against the wall, thinking.

She had thought the first thing she would do was kill Misao. Now, thing weren't going exactly according to plan. She had no intention of backing off, but Misao had become the leader of the Oniwaban group, and she definitely was not gonna be able to make Misao face her alone.

Yone slapped her forehead suddenly. Of course! If she couldn't get Misao, then a little "eye for an eye" would be good enough.

Yone took out her traveling bag. She removed a small round metal box with holes on the lid. Then, reaching again into the bag, she retrieved a small silk bag filled with dried poison herbs.

Her brother had taught her a long time ago about this poison. When burned, the herbs let off deadly fumes. It was odorless, making it practically impossible to detect. It came from a very rare plant as well, so few would know about how to cure it.

She carefully tied the herbs together and placed them inside the metal box. Yone frowned. She only had enough herbs to use once successfully.

She tucked the metal case into her sleeve and once again left the inn, headed towards the Aoiya.

There was no one outside the Aoiya, and by the looks of it, Misao hadn't returned yet.

Yone snuck silently along the back wall of the Aoiya, and then hid behind a tree near the front. It would be easy enough. She would set the tin down somewhere and light the herbs on fire.

The fumes would fill the entire house in a matter of minutes. She tried to find an opening to where she could set the metal case and light the herbs. An open window or door…?

Voices could be heard from behind the closed kitchen shoji, and Yone strained her ears to her them as she passed.

"Misao hasn't returned from the temple yet, has she?" said what sounded like the voice of an elderly man.

"No, not yet, Okina" answered another voice.

"Those two kids! When will they realize they both share the same feelings?" the old man chuckled.

Yone raised her eyebrows in interest, stopping to listen.

The old man's voice continued: "Misao hasn't given up hope that Aoshi has feelings for her. It's obvious he does, being worried about her all the time and going personally to get her from Tokyo, but it will probably be a long time before he shows them."

Yone smiled, her eyes glinting. She slid the iron box back into her pocket. It would be wasted if she used it there. There was a much better use for it.

* * *

Misao walked back towards the Aoiya. It was past noon now, the others would be wondering where she was by now.

She had spent the past few hours walking through the city. To her surprise, she hadn't sensed Yone at all, even though Misao had been sure to make herself visible.

Omasu was waiting for her by the front door when she arrived.

"Oh, Misao, there you are. I have to ask you if you could go to the store to pick up some vegetables for dinner."

"Sure, Omasu, I will." Misao headed off again in direction of the market, glad for an excuse to spend some more time outside the Aoiya.

As Misao walked away, she wondered again what Yone could be up to right now. The look of hatred in Yone's eyes had made her blood run cold.

Still, she reasoned with herself, even someone like Yone wouldn't be dumb enough to take on an entire group like the Oniwaban.

* * *

_Aoshi Shinomori, huh? _Yone thought to herself as she neared the temple. She had heard of him. The leader of the real Oniwaban group, which was now gone. "He won't be an easy target, but it won't be impossible either."

Yone soon reached the temple. She climbed up the front steps and into the main shrine room. A few people were inside, offering prayers at different shrines. In the far end of the room, one man sat alone meditating.

'_Shinomori'_ Yone mumbled to herself. She waited behind a wood pillar until the people at the shrine left. She walked slowly the shrine nearest Aoshi. She bowed her head, pretending to pray; but actually watching Aoshi out of the corner of her eye.

Reaching a hand into her pocket, she drew out the iron box and removed the herb strands. Setting them alight, she placed them in the back inside the metal box and set it in the shrine shelf, near the burning incense.

She bowed her head one last time towards the shrine and started walking toward the front door. In a few minutes time, the room would be filled with deadly fumes.

Aoshi listened to the footsteps of the last visitor to the temple fade away. Once he was certain he was alone in the room once more, he returned to his meditation. He found it a lot harder to focus when others were nearby.

A while later he glanced up at the open window of the shrine. It was late afternoon. If he stayed any longer Misao would be sure to come looking for him; he might as well head back to the Aoiya now.

He moved to stand up. But he nearly fell back down, placing a hand on his chest; his lungs suddenly felt as though they were on fire.

Grabbing onto the nearest shrine to steady himself, Aoshi gasped for breath. _'What's happening to me?' _His hand suddenly landed on something. He saw it was a small tin case, with almost unnoticeable strands of smoke unfurling from the holes in the lid.

His eyes narrowed as he realized what it was. He grabbed it and hurled it outside, but it was too late.

Holding his sleeve over his nose and mouth, Aoshi ran out of the temple, jumping onto the garden outside.

As soon as Aoshi had landed on the ground, his vision began to blur. He shook his head, trying to clear it. He forced himself to keep going – he had to…

He had to stop, placing a hand on his chest; his heart felt as though it was going to burst, it was pounding. He collapsed onto the ground.

Aoshi tasted blood in his mouth; he felt it drip down his chin…his eyes rolled back into his head, he felt himself falling…into…darkness…

Yone reappeared, smiling to herself as she looked at Aoshi's limp body on the ground. He wouldn't die, not yet. The poison would take a couple of hours to do that. Too bad she wouldn't be able to see Misao's face when she found him.

* * *


	3. Promises

Unexpected Revenge

By Sarun

* * *

CHAPTER THREE:

Promises

_Author's Note: Some of the references I use in this chapter are from episode 89: To My Angel Misao, a Fetching from Kyoto. It was just such a cute episode I decided to use it._

* * *

Misao was returning from the store, the bag of vegetables hung over her shoulder. She smiled to herself, feeling a bit calmer after her encounter earlier. _Maybe I was right after all…maybe Yone did take my warning seriously…_

"Hey, Misao!" It was Omasu. "Took you awhile."

Misao smiled and shrugged. "Is Aoshi-sama home yet?"

"No, he hasn't come yet. He must still be at the temple."

"I'll go and get him." Misao frowned, recalling that Aoshi was usually back by this time. It wasn't like him to be late.

Hiding among high branches of a tree, Yone was able to watch Misao run down the road to the Zen temple from above. Yone made sure Misao was out of sight before she jumped down and headed for the Aoiya.

Upon arriving to the temple, she walked inside the usual room he meditated in, calling out: "Aoshi-sama…" but the room was empty.

_That's strange…I would have seen him if he had already left…. _

She walked around the temple, checking in every room. But all the other rooms were empty as well.

Confused, she walked outside onto the balcony. A small open tin metal box lay tossed there. Curious, Misao bent down on one knee to examine it. Inside it were a few purple herbs tied together, one of which was still burning slightly.

'_Wait…this isn't incense'_. Misao picked it up. As she did, she began to feel slightly drowsy.

Her eyes snapped open in alarm. Reflexively, she dropped it to the ground and stomped her foot on it. The danger dawning on her, she cried out: "Aoshi!" and bolted out into the garden.

She found him. Out in the garden in the back of the temple, Aoshi lay motionless on the ground.

…_Aoshi…no…he couldn't be…no…NO!_

Misao ran over to him; she turned him over and held him in her arms; his face was pale and sweat-covered, eyes shut, his breathing was coming in short gasps as a line of blood trailed from his mouth

Misao felt herself start to panic. "Aoshi! What happened! Aoshi-Hold on-! Please don't die-just hold on-"

At the sound of her voice, Aoshi opened his eyes slowly, and only halfway. "M-Misao…" he gasped, and then he faded into unconsciousness once more.

Misao wanted to run for help, but she couldn't make herself leave Aoshi. She just held him against her; screaming for someone to help…

"Let go of him, Misao!" Okina was attempting to pry Misao away from Aoshi. Someone had heard Misao's cries for help and run to the Aoiya. Okina and the others had come running.

Kuro and Shiro placed Aoshi's arms over their shoulders and started carrying him back towards the Aoiya.

Meanwhile, Omasu and Ochika attempted to calm down Misao. Misao broke away from them and ran after the others to the Aoiya.

_A while later…_

The doctor stood up and walked out of the room. Okina stood up as well, following him outside. The doctor gave a heavy sigh before he addressed Okina.

"I'm sorry. It is clearly a case of poisoning, but I have no idea what to do about it. His heartbeat is completely off-rhythm." The doctor mumbled to Okina. "I have never seen symptoms like this. There's nothing I can do if I don't know the poison used. I'm sorry."

Both of them were speaking in low voices, but Misao heard every word. She clutched at her hands to stop them from shaking. She fought to hold her tears back as she removed the soaked towel on Aoshi's forehead.

Aoshi was running a high fever, and fading in and out of consciousness, his breathing heavy and labored. It looked like every breath he drew caused him pain. Every now and then he coughed up some blood.

As Misao soaked the towel in the iced water and placed it on his forehead again, Aoshi opened his eyes and looked directly at her.

"Aoshi…" Misao whispered. Her eyes stung as they began to fill with tears once again. She shut her eyes in an effort to make them go away.

At a feeling of slight pressure against her cheek, she opened her eyes again.

Aoshi had his hand up to her face, though it appeared to be taking all his strength to do so.

"Misao…Don't…I'm sorry" he breathed slowly "I…I…you" and then abruptly faded back into unconsciousness, his hand falling limply onto his chest.

Misao couldn't bear it. She ran outside, running until she tripped over a tree root and hit the ground. She sat up slowly. Hiding her face in her hands, she started sobbing.

Yone watched Misao from behind a tree trunk. Her arms were crossed, and she kicked at the dirt, trying to block out the sounds.

She finally slumped against the tree, her head in her hands. She couldn't take it anymore. That pain – she knew it all too well.

No! Aoshi had to die. If she gave in like this, her long – awaited vengeance would fail. But still...

She fingered the ends of her hair, thinking. So she didn't want Aoshi dead, her grudge was with Misao. There had to be a way…somehow.

Her old smirk came across her face. Why, it was already all planned out. Misao was already in a trap. Aoshi was dying – she, Yone, had the antidote – Misao would have to agree to her terms.

Misao sobbed silently. She moved her hand down to her arm, where she pinched a piece of her skin. It turned white as she pinched with her nails, and finally a crescent red, it dripped steadily onto the ground.

She tried to focus on that pain, to push aside her pain for Aoshi for even just one moment. The pain ebbed away, but returned in a matter of seconds.

She heard a faint rustling sound. Expecting Okina or Omasu, she turned her head away.

"I did say I was serious, Misao."

Misao's easy flew open at the sound of that voice. Looking up, she saw Yone standing a few feet away, smiling.

Misao felt rage seep through every inch of her. Yone. Yone had poisoned Aoshi! Why hadn't she figured it out right away? Furious at herself, she stood bolt upright and strode towards her, shaking with anger.

"You…you"

"That's right, Misao. I poisoned him." Yone answered callously, smirking.

"I'll kill you…" Misao sputtered

"Same words to you. But that won't have to be yet." With that, Yone pulled out a small bottle, held gingerly between her thumb and forefinger, deliberately over a flat stone near her feet.

"Aoshi won't die for another hour or two. And trust me, dying by that poison is not pretty. This antidote is the only thing that will stop the poison. And I will only give it to you if you follow my conditions."

Misao nodded her head slowly, her eyes fixed upon the small bottle. What else could she do? She wasn't going to let Aoshi die because of her.

"First, I want you to face me at exactly midnight tonight, at the cliffs to the northwest.

Second, you are not to tell anyone of this, especially your Oniwaban group. If you do tell or don't show up, I'll have to take out my rage on a couple people in this city and be done with it.

Do you promise to follow these conditions?"

Misao nodded once more. "I promise." She would face Yone. This had to end.

"Alright then." Yone tossed Misao the small bottle, which she caught. "Just make him drink the entire antidote and he will be fine."

Misao stood for a moment and glared with silent fury in Yone's direction, but began to step back towards the Aioya. After a few steps, she turned and ran as fast as she could.

Watching Misao run, Yone laughed. _Looks like I was right, Misao._

Okina jumped as the door to Aoshi's room was opened suddenly. Misao stood in the doorway, panting.

"Here!" she handed him a small bottle. "This antidote will cure Aoshi."

"But, who gave-"Okina started

"Never mind, just give it to him!"

_A few hours later…_

"His fever's gone." Ochika announced, surprised.

Although he was still asleep, Aoshi's breathing had returned to normal shortly after he had taken the antidote, and the color had come back to his face.

"I think he will be fine now. He should stay in bed for a while, in any case." Omasu agreed.

Misao smiled, looking over at Aoshi. But the smile disappeared as soon as it had come. The guilt burned in her chest. Aoshi had nearly died because of her. And now she had to meet Yone at the cliffs at midnight, to fight like they promised.

They all left Aoshi's room silently, and shut the door behind them. As soon as they were gone, Aoshi opened his eyes and stared at the closed door.

So he had almost let it slip. In his daze, he had meant to tell her he loved her, that he had always loved her, but had hidden it. As always. Why? Even he wasn't sure.

He didn't deserve Misao. After all he'd done, after all the pain he'd caused. Why _would_ she want him? Carefree antics aside – She was a strong, smart girl. And she was beautiful. Yes – beautiful. He knew the others teased her about still being a child. He had never been able to agree, hard as he tried.

He closed his eyes for a long moment. Ever since his conversation with Kenshin back in Tokyo, he hadn't been able to stop thinking about it.

"_She's no longer a child, that she most definitely isn't." _

Kenshin had been right.

Misao changed into her sleeping yukata. Might as well get some rest before midnight. Her thoughts turned to Aoshi, and a brief, disbelieving smile came to her face when she remembered what he had said. "I…you" She let her breath out slowly over that thought. Had he meant to say…? If the setting had been different, she probably would have interpreted it that way at once.

Misao felt a pang in her heart, Aoshi not knowing that she was responsible for his near death. She tried to fall asleep, but it was impossible.

Yone's taunts rang throughout her ears. _"…Aoshi won't die for another hour or two…I poisoned him…My brother may have been a thief, but at least he never stole anyone's life… _

She got out of bed, and after pacing around her room pointlessly for a few minutes, she decided to see how Aoshi was doing. She walked down the hall, and slid open the door to Aoshi's room.

Aoshi was lying awake; his eyes open and staring unseeingly at the ceiling. He glanced at the door when he heard it open, and saw the lone figure of Misao, watching him with worried eyes.

Misao smiled, seeing him awake already. She walked into the room, sliding the door shut behind her and kneeling by the side of his futon.

"Are you feeling alright, Aoshi-sama?"

"Yes." Aoshi answered her briefly.

Feeling a bit disappointed by the short response, she continued. "Do you need anything?"

"No." Aoshi hesitated before continuing, but decided he had to.

"Do you remember what I said to you before?"

Misao felt a twinge of fear. Was he going to say it didn't mean anything? Aoshi reached for her hand, curling his fingers around it. "I couldn't bring myself to say it, even then. And I nearly lost the chancefor good. The word I left out was love."

Aoshi closed his eyes again for a few moments. "When I was first poisoned at the temple, the first thing that I thought of was you. I couldn't stop."

Misao turned her face away abruptly, unable to look him in the eye. Aoshi was finally being open with her – but why now? With everything she was hiding from Aoshi at the moment…

He hesitated again, but remembered that he had nearly lost his chance with Misao that very afternoon. He couldn't risk that again.

Misao felt Aoshi reach for her. Keeping a firm yet gentle grip on her chin, he lowered her face to his. "I love you, Misao" he whispered.

Her heart was pounding rapidly. After countless nights of dreaming something like this would happen between them – she automatically ran her fingers through Aoshi's dark hair as she felt his breath on her neck.

Then she remembered with a fresh wave of guilt…Aoshi's poisoning…Yone… how she had agreed to fight her in what could be a death match in a matter of hours. And she was keeping it secret from everyone else.

As their lips were about to meet, Misao suddenly moved her head away, kissing Aoshi on the cheek briefly instead.

Aoshi froze. They had almost – why did she…? He looked to Misao. She had her head turned away again and her hands were clenched in her lap.

Aoshi turned his gaze away from her. After a few moments silence, Misao stood up and walked towards the door.

"Do you hate me, Misao?"

_What?_

Misao stopped; her hand on the door frame. She turned around slowly to face him. He still had his back turned to her, but she could tell he was listening.

Misao found her voice. "What do you mean? I don't hate you, Aoshi."

"Admit it if you wish. I understand."

"No!" She shot back. "Why would I hate you?" She realized the rashness of her question only after it had been said.

Aoshi sat up suddenly, his icy glare back in his eyes as he spoke.

"For everything, Misao. For making you suffer for so long. For daring to love you after all I've done and what I've become." He closed his eyes as he said this, placing a hand to his side in pain.

Misao shook her head. She had dark secrets of her own, she knew his feelings. "I love you, Aoshi…I know who you really are. I don't care who you became or what you did. All that matters is here now." She felt tears forming at the corner of her eyes and turned to wipe them away quickly.

She heard a grunt and the slight creak of the floor. Upon turning, she saw Aoshi rising to his feet, his breathing slow and hard. He took a step towards her, but lost his footing.

"No, Aoshi, don't move-" She rushed over, managing to catch him and ease him back to the floor.

Aoshi took several deep breaths, trying to clear his head. Misao held him, shaking with sudden fear and hidden anger. "You're not supposed to move yet! You were just-"

She was cut off by Aoshi capturing her mouth in a sudden kiss. Too stunned to move, she remained still as he wrapped his arms around her.

Aoshi tightened his grip on Misao, keeping his mouth firmly on hers. They broke apart after a few seconds more, both gasping for air.

Misao couldn't believe it – he had just _kissed _her. She was quite aware of their position - their arms around each other, their faces hardly an inch apart.

Aoshi brushed a strand of her hair back and tucked it behind her ear. He then ran his hand along her face; Misao felt his fingers tremble slightly as he touched her.

He removed the clasp at the end of her braid and began untying it, letting her long black hair fall loose. Running his fingers through her hair, he whispered: "Stay with me tonight."

Before she could answer, Aoshi's hand shifted from her hair to her shoulder to push open her yukata, baring her shoulder to him; Misao let out a soft moan as he gently kissed the warm skin.

He moved his mouth slightly, his tongue tracing the base of her neck. After a few seconds, he lifted his head from her neck and gazed into her eyes, waiting for her answer.

_It's wrong; don't do this…_her senses screamed out at her. But she couldn't make herself pull away from him again. No, she had to tell him the truth.

"What's wrong?" His voice broke her thoughts. He must have seen the fear in her eyes.

Turning her face to his, she wanted so badly to tell him everything - about Tsuna, the fight with Yone that night, how it was her fault that he had nearly died poisoned…

But as she stared into his eyes, the words died in her throat.

"N-Nothing, Aoshi."

He brushed the hair away from her eyes. "You promise?"

Clutching his hand in hers, Misao whispered back: "Promise."

Misao closed her eyes when she felt his hands stroking her back. She couldn't make herself pull away. As their lips met again, Aoshi pulled her down into bed with him.

As the kiss deepened, she slipped her hands under his robe and pressed them against his scarred chest, while he kept an arm around her waist and fumbled with the tied knot of her yukata.

Misao felt the front knot of her robe come loose as Aoshi pulled the fabric down her arms and off her body. Breaking the kiss abruptly, he moved down to her neck, tasting the soft skin.

Embedding her fingers in his soft black hair, Misao laid her head back onto the pillow, yielding willingly to desire, forgetting for once the night's uncertainties.

* * *

Misao opened her eyes slowly. She remained still, hesitant to move. Her head was resting against Aoshi's shoulder, listening to the sound of his heartbeat.

Fighting the urge to simply fall asleep beside him, she moved her head slightly to look behind her.

_It's time. _Misao glanced at the western clock that was hung at the far end of the room; 11:30. Everyone else in the Aoiya would be fast asleep by now.

Misao slowly pulled out of Aoshi's arms. She glanced at him to make sure he was still asleep. She brushed her hair out of her eyes and quietly pulled off the covers.

She rooted through their clothes on the floor for a moment to find her yukata. She put it on slowly, not in any real rush to leave.

When she had put it on, she looked back down at Aoshi. He was still asleep; the covers halfway up his bare chest.

A small ray of moonlight shone through a slit in the window, giving Aoshi's face and hair a silvery glow.

Misao felt a hard lump rise in her throat and tears sting at the corners of her eyes. She got to her knees and folded Aoshi's robe neatly, giving herself just a little more time in the room.

_Why? Just after we finally know…_Misao suppressed a sob, a few tears falling onto Aoshi's robe.

She placed his folded robe next to his futon, and got to her feet. As she left the room, she moved her fingers over her lips and down her arms, remembering the feel of Aoshi's kisses.

In her own room, she put on her ninja outfit and rebraided her hair. She took out a letter for everyone in the Aoiya to find in the morning. In it, she explained everything from Tsuna's death to Yone poisoning Aoshi, and their agreement to fight at midnight. She had left out the location and time, thinking it best in case the note was found before morning.

She folded the letter and placed it on the counter. Misao took a deep breath, and then left the Aoiya at a run.

* * *

Yone sat alone on the rocks by the cliffside. She glanced up at the sky. She glanced down at the river at the foot of the cliff. It would be quite a fall.

She took out a small pocket watch and looked at the time. 11:45. She tucked it away, and gazed at the moon, waiting.

* * *


	4. Final Decisions

Unexpected Revenge

By Sarun

* * *

CHAPTER FOUR:

Final Decisions

* * *

Okina yawned, walking down the hall towards the kitchen to get something to eat.

As he walked, he stroked his beard, thinking. _Who could have poisoned Aoshi? And for what motive? And how did Misao find an antidote for it so quickly?_

Those questions had been nagging him for a while that day, but he had thought it best to put them aside, with everyone so worried about Aoshi. He would ask Misao about the antidote in the morning.

Okina searched in the kitchen, hoping to find some pastries. As he passed the kitchen counter, a piece of paper caught his eye. He picked it up.

_What the…_ it was a letter from Misao! Feeling this could mean nothing good, Okina opened it. He read through it, and dropped it to the floor with a yell.

Within moments, Omasu, Ochika, Kuro and Shiro arrived. "What is it? We heard you yell."

Okina, struck speechless, handed them the letter from Misao and sank to his knees, pale.

* * *

Aoshi grunted as he awoke. His head still felt slightly dizzy, and there was a lot of noise coming from the kitchen. He sank back into the pillow; eyes closed, and reached out his arm to pull Misao closer.

His hand only found empty sheets. His eyes flew open, and saw that Misao was gone.

Aoshi pushed the covers aside, searching for his robe, and found it folded neatly by the side of the futon.

He dressed quickly and headed towards the kitchen. He found everyone in there, all looking panic-stricken.

"Aoshi, you should be resting…" someone started

"What's going on? Where's Misao?" he demanded.

Omasu held out the letter with a trembling hand.

* * *

Misao ran through the woods. It wasn't far now, just about a few more minutes until she reached the cliffs.

She tried to think as she ran. How could the fight with Yone end without someone getting really hurt? Yone would try to kill her; there was no doubt about that.

Rage filled her as she remembered that Aoshi had nearly died. She curled her hands into fists at her sides. _Yone won't get away with poisoning Aoshi…_

Yone turned around at the sound of footsteps approaching, in time to see Misao emerge from the forest.

"So. There you are. I was beginning to think you weren't going to show up."

Misao didn't answer. She simply stood with her arms crossed. "You won't get away with what you did to Aoshi."

Smirking as she stood up from the rocks, Yone walked towards the middle of the clearing. Misao stood opposite her.

Yone drew her sword from her back. The sword's edge glinted in the moonlight, letting off an eerie glow. "Recognize this, Misao? You've fought against this before."

Misao recognized the sword instantly and nodded. "Tsuna's." Yone gritted her teeth. "That's right. Now, you will die by it!"

Yone lunged forward quickly, Misao jumped to the side. Yone, however, had been expecting it, and slashed to the side, cutting Misao at the shoulder.

Misao fell to her knees and pressed her hand against the cut. Luckily, it was shallow.

"You're not as tough as I expected! Why don't you just give up now and save yourself all the pain?" Yone sneered.

"You're not through with me yet!" Misao snapped back. She had let Yone hit her on purpose.

Yone's grin disappeared, and with unexpected speed she darted at Misao again. Misao remained on her knees, waiting…

As Yone lifted the sword to strike, Misao grabbed Yone's arm from underneath and jabbed a kunai she had hidden in her hand into Yone's forearm.

Yone cried out and loosened her grip. It was what Misao had been waiting for. Misao grabbed Yone's wrist and twisted it, making the sword fly out of her hand, landing several feet away.

Yone instead drew several shuriken from her sleeve and threw them at Misao, who jumped out of the way. Rushing forward, she aimed a punch at Misao, who blocked it, responding with one of her own.

It was what Yone had waited for. The punch left Misao wide open for attack. She threw an uppercut punch at Misao.

Misao pulled her face away, but felt a stinging pain under her chin. Glancing at Yone's hand, she saw she had a shuriken in her fist. Misao slapped a hand to her jaw. Sure enough, there was a long bleeding gash.

With Misao distracted by her injury, Yone made a dash for her sword. Picking it up, she prepared herself to attack once again.

Sensing Yone approach at the last moment, Misao ducked out of the way, but not fast enough to avoid the blade. The sword's edge scraped her forehead, leaving a bloody cut near her eye.

* * *

"We all have to split up and search for Misao!" Okina commanded everyone. They all ran off in different directions to search the city.

Aoshi remained where he was. He searched the ground for some sort of tracks. Misao had used her ninja skills well, there were no tracks around. Still, there had to be something…

A half dried mud patch caught his eye. Walking over towards it, Aoshi found a single footprint. It pointed northwest.

His mind raced. _Of course…they wouldn't fight in the city. What's to the northwest…?_

His heart skipped a beat when he remembered.

* * *

Misao kicked at Yone, which hit her directly in the stomach, knocking the air out of her and sent her falling over.

Yone fell to the ground hard, dropping her sword and lay facedown, not moving. Her right eye partly blinded by blood from her forehead cut, Misao moved over to Yone. _Did she get knocked out?_

Yone felt Misao moving closer, but remained still. She moved her hand to her belt, and grasped the handle of her dagger.

She put a hand to Yone's shoulder and turned her over. In a flash, Yone grabbed Misao's braid and yanked her into close range, at the same time pulling out her dagger and stabbing her in the side.

Misao cried out and stumbled backwards. She braced herself against a tree, her hand on her side. She glanced down at it. The wound was a long deep slash right under her ribcage; blood spilled out between her fingers like water. The pain was blinding.

Yone strode over to her, the blood-covered dagger in her hand. Misao saw her raise her arm to strike just in time. She ducked out under Yone's arm and tried to stay standing.

Yone turned and grabbed her dagger by the blade and threw it at Misao. Her reflexes slowed by the pain in her side, the dagger landed in her upper arm. Misao cried out, falling to one knee in pain.

Yone took advantage of the momentary weakness and launched a running kick in her direction.

Misao had just pulled the dagger out of her arm, and looked up in time to see Yone running at her before the kick caught her in the chest and sent her falling over the cliffside.

Yone laughed, running to the edge to see Misao fall…there was nothing, no splash in the river. Yone froze. _What the…!_

Misao clung onto a protruding stone on the cliffside. She looked up and saw Yone lean over the cliff, obviously looking for her.

Misao grabbed onto Yone's ankle with both hands. Yone lost her balance, and both of them fell into the river far below.

As she fell, Misao braced herself for the landing. She swallowed a mouthful of water as she felt the cold shock of the water. The current was pulling at her; it was too dark to see anything.

She splashed, trying to stay at the surface of the water. Suddenly, a pair of hands seized her from behind and pushed her under the surface.

Yone had grabbed her arms from behind, trying to drown her. She had managed to trap Misao's head underwater; Misao fought against Yone's grip, but it was no use…

Misao felt herself slowly grow weaker, tired, almost. She could feel the sharp contrast of the icy cold water of the river and the warm blood from her injuries flowing past her.

She was only dimly aware of the water in her mouth; was it just her or was the water getting darker…?

As her eyes closed, the sound of a familiar voice floated through the darkness, calling her. Opening her eyes slightly, she saw nothing.

Still unable to free herself, she closed her eyes once more. Then, a faint voice well engraved in her memory broke through the numbing cold.

"Misao …"

_Aoshi?_

She couldn't see him, but in her mind she heard him clearly.

"You promise?" Aoshi whispered.

"Yes…" she gasped back

…_I won't leave you…Aoshi…I promise…Everything's alright…I promise… _

Her eyes flew open; the water became clear again. She wasn't going to die here, not like this!

Misao elbowed Yone in the stomach with all her strength. Yone released Misao's arms, and Misao splashed to the surface, gasping.

Seizing one of her kunai, she grabbed Yone around the neck from behind, and cut across her face. Yone screamed, holding a hand to the bleeding cut across her face.

Misao then grasped a large nearby rock and held on, breathing hard. The pain in her side was worsening.

Gritting her teeth, she managed to pull herself onshore. She got to her feet, looking around for Yone.

Yone had also managed to crawl ashore. She was down on all fours, breathing heavily, the slash on her face still bleeding, trying to get to her feet.

Before Misao could understand what she was doing, she was racing towards Yone, fists raised.

She caught Yone violently by the neck, and threw her to the ground. Misao began punching Yone in the face repeatedly, unable to stop herself.

Yone tried to fight back, but couldn't move to defend herself, as her arms were pinned to the ground.

"How-dare-you-hurt-Aoshi!" Misao yelled each word out with anger each time her fist hit.

_Stop! Stop it! You'll kill her if you keep hitting her like that!_ Her senses reverberated within her mind, but it seemed as if her fist had a mind of its own.

Before she knew it, Misao was holding a kunai in her hand. She glanced for an instant at its sharp edge. It could do the job just fine…gripping Yone's hair; she forced her head back and held the sharp kunai to Yone's throat.

There was a moment where the looked each other straight in the eyes; Yone's light brown eyes wide and fearful-Misao's greenish-blue eyes narrowed and shining with anger.

Misao pressed the cold metal of the kunai to Yone's neck. One quick move across her throat, and it would all be over.

Inexplicably, her hand froze. Her gut instinct was screaming at her not to do it. Misao hesitated, still holding the kunai steady.

A second urge was fighting the first now. _Do it! Let her get what she deserves. Remember what she did to Aoshi!_

_Then you're no different from her! _Came the retort. _You'll let her die to avenge what she did to Aoshi, just how she wants you to die for what you did to Tsuna!_

Misao realized that was truth with a start. What she had felt when Aoshi had been near dying…Yone must have gone through something much worse after Tsuna died.

She hadn't intended Tsuna to die, and Yone hadn't intended for Aoshi to die, that's why she had given Misao the antidote for him. Misao had come out here because she wanted to make Yone pay for what she had done to Aoshi…

The kunai fell limply from her hand as she let go of Yone and fell to her knees.

Holding a hand to her neck, Yone sat up. She took her hand away from her throat, as if to check for blood. When she saw there was none, she looked over at Misao angrily.

"Why-why the hell did you do that?" she yelled

Misao looked back at her. "Do what?"

"You-you-didn't kill me…Why did you stop? You could have put an end to this and won!"

Misao took a deep breath before answering, gritting her teeth against the throbbing pain in her side. "Because I realized something."

"What do you mean?"

"That if I did kill you, I would be doing the same thing you're doing. I realized how you must have felt when-when Tsuna died. I felt the same when Aoshi nearly died. And I did want revenge for what you did to him. But I realized how wrong it was. Aoshi didn't die, you didn't mean him to. But I did cause your bother's death, accident or not. You have the right to hate me."

When Yone didn't answer, Misao continued. "Would your brother want you to do this?"

Yone stared at her numbly at her for a few more seconds, and then jumped to her feet. "I don't care! I came here to avenge my brother, and I intend to do that!"

She darted at Misao, who remained where she was. Yone's fist hit Misao right in the stomach, knocking her over.

Misao spat out a mouthful of blood, and fell to the ground. Yone gripped Misao by the hair and yanked her to her feet.

She hit Misao repeatedly and threw her to the ground. Misao was still conscious, but remained still.

Yone stood there, gasping for breath. Why didn't Misao fight back? She kicked Misao in the ribs, causing her to spit up more blood. "Get up! Fight back!"

Misao lifted her head a few inches from the ground slowly and looked Yone in the eye, blood running down her forehead and her breath coming in short gasps. "I said I wasn't going to fight you anymore. I've suffered guilt over your brother for a long time, and I don't want to do it again. I wouldn't mind dying that much now that I understand."

Misao continued. "You never meant for Aoshi to die. And I owe that to you."

* * *

Aoshi raced through the woods, hoping he wasn't too late. It was nearly half past twelve, and that was a long time in a fighting terms.

He came upon a clearing, where he caught the smell of blood. He walked to the center of the clearing.

There were blood stains all over the ground, as well as several footprints of what was unmistakably a fight.

Heart pounding, Aoshi followed the tracks with his eyes. The led to a large tree, where a sword was stuck in it, and then to another tree where there was a large bloodstain on the ground, and finally…Aoshi gasped…off the edge of the cliff itself.

Aoshi glanced over the edge of the cliff, but it was too dark to see anything. There were no footprints leading away from the cliff, and that only meant…that both of them must have fallen…

_No...Misao..._

* * *

Yone let out a fierce yell and kicked Misao to the ground once more. "You're lying! You-you"

Misao kept her gaze firm. "Kill me if you want to, Yone. I won't stop you. The only thing I'll regret is not being able to see Aoshi and all my friends again."

Without blinking, Yone picked up Misao's kunai from the ground. She pinned Misao down, and with one hand turned her head sideways.

Misao shut her eyes. Not realizing she was speaking aloud, she whispered: "Forgive me…Aoshi…Jiya…Himura…everyone…I'm sorry…"

Holding the kunai's point to the artery in Misao's neck, she took a deep breath. _This was it – at last…_

…_Would your brother want you to do this…?_

Yone tried to block out the sound of those words. She already knew Misao had spoken the truth.

In fact, she had known from the start that Tsuna would have been disappointed at her for doing what she was doing.

He had always tried to give her a peaceful life, keep her from copying his lifestyle. That night he had made her promise…it seemed so long ago now…

_Yone and Tsuna sat together by the riverbank, gazing at the stars shimmering in the night sky. Tsuna took a deep breath before speaking. "Don't end up like me, little sister."_

_Tsuna glanced down at her sitting beside him. She looked back up at him, chewing on an apple. "I'm not too proud of what I do. I'd never want you to have to live like me."_

_He looked back at the stars. "Promise me something. If something ever happened to me, I know you would try and avenge me. And I know I couldn't stop you. But promise me this. If I die in fair combat, don't bloody your hands for me. In a proper fight, death is no one's fault."_

_Yone nodded, grinning. "No one will ever hurt you... You're the best there is!"_

_Tsuna let out a small chuckle and patted her briefly on the head. "I hope you're right."_

She had broken that promise. The night he died, she had become so angry – she had – killed – but why…? Yone dropped the kunai, her hand shaking both in fear and rage.

Misao felt the cold metal of the kunai fall away from her throat. She opened her eyes slightly. Was this a trick? Yone's face was pale, and she made a slight chocking noise in her throat.

Suddenly, Yone jumped up and ran, letting out a chilling scream. Misao got to her feet and chased after Yone – there was no telling what she was going to do.

Misao kept stumbling, keeping a hand on the wound on her side. It felt as though it was draining her strength steadily now, not to mention her vision was already beginning to blur.

Yone held the speed advantage; Misao could only follow the faint tracks in the ground. Finally, Misao emerged from the forest area, where a cliff gave end to a waterfall.

Yone was standing on a large rock out in the river, barely a few feet from the waterfall's edge.

When Misao stumbled onto the riverbank from the forest, Yone appeared not to notice. She kept her gaze on the stars shimmering lightly above.

"What the hell are you doing?" Misao's yell rang through the clearing. Yone moved her gaze first to the bottom of the waterfall, then to Misao.

"You were right, Misao. I should have done this a long time ago, before I made a fool out of myself."

Yone flashed a quick smile at her. "You're lucky to have someone like Aoshi. I wish I still did."

At that moment, Yone turned back towards the waterfall. "Don't worry about this. I chose this myself."

Misao realized what Yone was planning to do about a second before it happened – she opened her mouth to yell at her to stop, but no sound came out.

Yone took a slow step forward, and in a moment disappeared over the side of the waterfall.

Misao stood, watching the spot where Yone had disappeared. A faint breeze blew past her.

Her feet gave out without her realizing it. Only when her head collided with the wet earth did she realize she had fallen.

She didn't want to move. Her mind had gone blissfully blank as she stared up into the night sky. To move would make her mind process what had just happened, to accept it.

As the pressing darkness pulled against her eyes like a weightless veil, Misao slipped in and out of consciousness.

She pressed her hand to her face, trying to clear her hurt eye. She pulled her hand away, and saw it glisten in the faint moonlight. Whether it was blood or tears, she didn't know.

"Misao…you stupid girl" she muttered to herself, finally succumbing to the overwhelming exhaustion.

* * *

_Author's Note:_

_This has certainly turned out interesting. What I intended to be a 3-chapter fic has stretched all this way. The next chapter should be the last. This is my first fanfic (though not last) and I intend to make it memorable._

* * *


	5. Broken Reflections

Unexpected Revenge

By Sarun

CHAPTER FIVE:

Broken Reflections

* * *

When her eyes opened once more, the sky had gone from dark blue to lavender. It was near dawn.

Raising her hand to her face in an attempt to clear the hair away from her eyes, she found her bangs matted and stuck to her forehead in dried blood.

Misao tried to sit up, but fell back as stabs of pain, like ice into skin, pierced her ribs and arms.

Once the pain had subsided slightly, Misao managed to slowly heave herself onto her elbows. Looking down, she saw her clothes were splattered a dark red.

Falling back onto the ground, the events of the night before flew through her mind. _The fight atop the cliffs…Yone stabbing her in the side…falling into the river…"You were right, Misao. I should have done this a long time ago, before I made a fool out of myself…"_

A wave of fear and grief struck at her, but in an oddly detached way, as if someone near her felt them.

Bracing against the pain in her side, she rolled onto her stomach. She began to drag herself, slowly, painstakingly, towards the cliffside, where she grabbed onto a large rock and hoisted herself up to glance at the foot of the falls.

A shield of mist blocked the view. Exhausted by the brief effort, she collapsed, her head resting against the rock.

At the thought of returning home, her whole body shuddered. Nothing could be worse, facing Jiya, Omasu, Ochika, Kuro, Shiro...and Aoshi.

Yesterday everything had been normal. Not a worry on her mind besides buying tofu and wondering whether Aoshi cared for her. It all seemed so stupid now…

She raised her head slowly, looking back over the cliffside.

What would it be like?

To step off the earth, fall through the air and then disappear into the shield of mist…free as the wind itself. And time would surely feel different; the few moments would probably feel like hours.

So strong was the temptation she began to lean out over edge with her eyes closed, feeling the cool spray of water upon her injured face.

"No!"

A pair of hands grabbed her from behind, yanking her away from the cliffside. Moments later she felt herself being held against a strong body.

"Misao…" She froze at the sound of the voice. "A-Aoshi?"

Aoshi gripped her shoulders, turning her around to face him. They stared at each other for what seemed an eternity; his eyes seemed to glow with undefined fury.

She abruptly looked away from him. How dare she face him after she had refused to reveal the truth, not only to him but to everyone else…and breaking her first promise to him?

Aoshi looked her over in stunned silence. Misao was nearly covered in blood, with battle wounds all over her. She had been leaning dangerously over the cliff, as if she had been about to…

A moment of rage overcoming him, Aoshi slapped her across the face.

The sudden impact stunned her. Tears, not related to the pain of her injuries, began to form.

Aoshi froze, realizing what he had done. "Misao…I'm sorry…I didn't mean…" He pulled her against him in a tight embrace.

The shaken tone of his voice made Misao snap to her senses.

She pulled back enough to stare into his face. No feelings were betrayed through his eyes or through any facial expression; it was clear, however, in his forced breathing and shaking hands.

Frightened by his unusual display of emotion, she wrapped her uninjured arm around his neck, trying to comfort him. "It's okay…I'm all right…"

Aoshi said nothing. He leaned down and put both her arms around his neck and caught her behind the knees, hoisting her onto his back.

"We're going back" he muttered "You're badly hurt"

Allowing herself to be carried without complaint, she rested her head against his shoulder. "Are you okay now?" she murmured. "Did the antidote work?"

"I'm fine. Don't talk anymore." Aoshi ordered her. Here she was, beaten and bleeding, and yet she worried over him first.

She continued: "Aoshi…Yone…the river…" He had a grim understanding about what she was trying to tell him, but he shushed her again. That would come later, not now.

Resigned, Misao bit her lip and settled her arms around his neck to hold on.

Aoshi could feel warm blood soaking through his shirt. Her movements had gotten the wound in her side to start bleeding again. She was losing blood – fast.

He set off at a run, through the still-dark woods to cut time. He felt Misao's hold around his neck become and more lax. Looking back at her once, he saw in the dim morning light that her eyes were becoming glazed and threatening to close.

* * *

Whether two or ten minutes had passed, Misao couldn't tell. She felt herself losing more and more strength. Sound and sight seemed to blend. She kept passing out, catching only glimpses of what happened around her. 

The streets of Kyoto…_Is that girl alright?_...scared faces_…_the doorway_…Aoshi!..._Jiya's voice_…Is she alive?..._Omasu's scream_…What happened to the other girl?…Call the doctor, quickly!..._Hurried footsteps_…Hold on Misao…Misao, answer us…_

* * *

Opening her eyes, Misao could only see blurs. Blinking several times, the room slowly came into focus. 

She made to sit up, but a hand softly pushed her back down. A familiar voice issued from the shadowy blurs. "The doctor said you should stay in bed."

"How long has it been, Aoshi?" Misao murmured, wrapping her hand around his.

He squeezed her hand. "Three days."

Misao let out a sleepy nod, and then drifted back into a half-sleep.

Looking down at her, Aoshi let out a long breath. Her injuries were healing well, though she was still very weak. It had been lucky they had gotten back when they did, she had been close to dying from blood loss.

She had only woken up yesterday, and since then had been constantly drifting in and out of consciousness.

Misao's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. She was awake again, staring up at him. In a hushed tone, she asked: "Is everyone upset at me?"

"No" Aoshi answered quietly "Everyone has been too worried."

He hesitated slightly before asking: "Why did you keep this a secret?"

Misao turned to look at Aoshi. His voice was gentle, not accusatory, yet Misao felt guilt at his words.

Words failed her. She pulled up the covers, deliberately hiding her face.

"Please – leave me alone for now." she whispered

Aoshi inclined his head gravely, but did not argue. He got up slowly and walked to the door, sliding it shut behind him.

Misao lay still and listened to the sound of his steps fade away in their familiar, reluctant pace.

Once she was sure no one was nearby, she pushed off the bedcovers and sat up gingerly, careful not to disturb the wound on her side.

Bracing one hand on the wall, she slowly pulled herself to her feet. Her other hand flew directly to her head, bracing against the dizzy pounding in her temples. The doctor had mentioned something about it being related to blood loss.

Leaning halfway against the wall, she managed to stagger over to the chest of drawers on the side of the room. Pulling open the top drawer, she carefully removed the false wooden bottom. Reaching inside, she pulled out a small, round mirror.

She kept it hidden, due to the fact that it was painted a light shade of pink with carved wooden flowers around the edges. Not exactly expected for a shinobi like her to have, she opted to keep it out of sight, as to not risk uncomfortable commentary from the rest of the household.

Kneeling to the floor, she braced herself. When she had awoken the other day, she had noticed that the two mirrors that normally hung from the walls had been removed. She knew better than to ask why.

Taking a deep breath, she looked at her reflection.

Peeling away the white bandage on her forehead, she saw a scar from where the blade of Yone's sword has scraped it. Moving her fingers over it lightly, she could tell it was nowhere as deep as Himura's and would heal as a very faint line. With a sick feeling, she recalled the wide gash drawn across Yone's face.

Moving the mirror here and there, she saw that the cut under her jaw had been stitched up. Her hair, which hung down unbraided, had been carefully washed and brushed.

Her eyes had dark circles beneath them, and her face was many shades too pale. Large purplish bruises colored her left cheek and forehead.

Her reflection-

She looked down at the rest of her body. Her hands were bandaged, attempting to cover the cuts upon them. Her legs were heavily bruised as well, most likely from the cliff fall.

Misao sat quite still for a moment, then cursed and threw the mirror across the room, where it hit the wall and shattered into pieces.

Not caring if someone heard the crash or not, she rose to her feet and stumbled over to her bed; collapsing involuntarily into a half-sleep.

* * *

_-Author's Note: I'm really sorry about the delay. I just started college and things have been insane. I was originally intending to have this chapter as part of the end chapter, but I sensed it was getting too long and needed to simplify things. Hey, it's my first fic!_

_Hope it's good._

_-Sarun_


	6. To See Again

Unexpected Revenge by Sarun

CHAPTER SIX: To See Again

**Author's Note:** Hey there! I know it's been a while but I was going nuts over how to end the story. I finally came up with one I liked, so here it is. Also, I'd like to bring up a quote that greatly influenced this chapter:

He who does not understand your silence will probably not understand your words.  
**- Elbert Hubbard**

Keep it in mind and enjoy the last chapter!

* * *

She had waited a week and half, both in order to regain some strength and to find the right chance to leave. Chance came on a cloudy, windy day. It seemed everyone in the Aoiya had their own errands to run, and worried by the threat of a storm, they decided to finish before it arrived. 

Misao lay still, carefully listening to the discussion coming from the other room.

Okina's voice floated through: "I know it looks like a storm is coming, but I don't think we should leave Misao alone like this. She's still weak from her injuries."

"That's what you think..." Misao muttered stiffly.

"Misao-chan?" Shiro peered cautiously into her room. "We're going out for a while, will you be alright?" Rolling her head against her pillow, she glanced his way and answered with a brief "Yeah."

Seeing his hesitation, she sat bolt upright and snapped: 'Look, stop worrying about me. I'm fine, see? Fine!" She held out her arms to emphasize her point.

Shiro backed rapidly out of the room. Misao fell back upon the bed, trying to ignore the renewed pounding in her head caused by her little outburst. Shortly afterwards, Okina stepped inside. "Misao?"

"Yes, Jiya?" Misao did not look at him, gazing instead at the ceiling above her.

Okina took a slow, deep breath. "We'll be back soon, all right?"

"Hai" Misao answered in the same stale tone.

"Very well" Okina gently slid the shoji shut. His hands lingered on the handle for a few more moments than was necessary, but pulled away all the same.

After a certain time had passed, Misao sat up, listening carefully. As far as she could sense, they had all left. And although she hadn't seen him, she knew Aoshi was not in the house. Not long after her recovery began, Aoshi had taken up his old habit of visiting the temple, but now for longer periods of time than usual.

_Is he angry at me?_ The single thought that had plagued her for days resurfaced. _Come on,_ she chided herself, nervously twisting the ends of her hair, _how could he not be?_

In the few moments they spent in each other's company over the last couple of days, an invisible wall seemed to have materialized between them. Talk was short and to the point, physical contact avoided.

Not that she could blame him. She had outright lied to him, and to make it worse it had been right before they'd…

Misao's breath caught in her chest, she felt her face flush. It took several seconds to remember to breathe. Yes, they had. Not long ago the thought of it would have been unbelievable.

_But not anymore, huh?_

Shying away from the thought, she firmly pushed herself up off the bed and to her feet. Moving quickly, she put on her shinobi clothes, and tied her hair back in a braid for the first time in several days. Opening the door to her closet, she pulled out a lightly packed bag. After closing the door to her room she set off down the hallway. As she did, Misao risked a look in a mirror that hung in the hall. Her wounds, it seemed, although not completely gone from her face, had healed reasonably well.

Still it was a different face, and not only because of injury. Something else was there. Something she couldn't quite put her finger on. Hanging the bag over her shoulder, Misao sighed and forced her eyes away from the glass.

The skies were sullen gray, patches of dark clouds accenting the already dreary color. The telltale scent of wet earth reached her nostrils, confirming the threat of rain. Muttering grimly under her breath, she closed the front door, but not before stealing one last glance at the inside. Turning away, Misao spotted Akemi, a neighbor with whom she occasionally spoke.

"Akemi!"

Akemi looked up from sweeping the dooryard. "Misao! Hi, how have you-"

"Sorry, but could you give a message to Jiya and the others for me?"

"Oh…sure"

Misao leaned close and whispered the message. "You got that?" she asked. Akemi nodded, though she looked a bit puzzled. "By the way Misao, what happened to your-"

"It's not important." Misao cut her off, turning and rushing quickly in the opposite direction. "Thanks and don't forget!"

* * *

In the eerie silence of the temple, Aoshi stared unseeingly at the scroll before him. The scroll was inscribed with words supposed to help with peace of mind. However, peace of mind seemed to be giving him the cold shoulder, as it had done so for several days. 

Aoshi sighed, his gaze dropping to the floor. It was impossible; ever since the entire incident had begun he had found himself unable to meditate.

Reaching into the pocket of his sleeve, he retrieved a small fragment of pink carved wood. It was the last piece of Misao's mirror, the one she had broken the previous week. He had heard the sounds of shattering glass shortly after he had left her room. He rushed back to her room only to find Misao unconscious and collapsed on her futon and the mirror in pieces on the floor.

As he had picked up the shards, he realized it was Misao's favorite mirror, the pale pink one with small carved flowers. He had seen her use it once, when she had left her bedroom door open as she fixed her hair. Passing by the room, he had only glimpsed the small mirror before she hurriedly hid it upon realizing his presence.

He had nearly smiled at the sight then – but he had caught himself in time – it had reminded him so strongly of Misao as a child.

Aoshi gazed intently at the piece. But now that had been shattered.

* * *

The loud rush of water was audible long before the trees gave way to the open clearing. It was funny; she didn't recall hearing it the last time. Misao glanced around cautiously. Once certain that no one was nearby, she walked into the middle of the clearing, searching. 

The ground bore the marks of their battle: dark patches on the earth gave evidence of bloodshed, a faded array of footprints hinted of the fight's pattern. The tree where the sword had landed had the mark upon its trunk.

She found Yone's dagger among the stones by the cliff's edge. Misao stood for a moment in silence, gently scraping away the dried blood from the blade with her fingernail.

But where was…?

Misao tried to recall the order of things: When she had kicked Yone down after the sword scraped her forehead, the sword had fallen out of Yone's hand. When Yone fell into the river, it was not with her. And if it wasn't on the ground, it had most likely fallen off the cliff. It had to be down there, somewhere. That is if the river had not already claimed it.

"It doesn't matter where it is"_…_she muttered stubbornly… "I'm not leaving without it" Leaning out over the cliff, she began to scan the area below.

A shining glint caught her eye. There, by some amazing luck, was the sword, stuck in some tree branches on the cliff side. Misao hesitated briefly; eyeing the steep climb retrieving the sword would require. The wind began to blow harder, the currents below started to churn. Misao glanced upwards at the threatening sky, knowing the downpour could come at any moment. Decision made, she began to climb down the rocks, careful not to slip. One false step and she would fall into the churning rapids below.

The steep climb downward was much harder and slower than what would be usual for her, due to the pain from her injuries. After nearly half an hour of slow and cautious descent, she had secured herself onto a narrow rock ledge, a few feet away from the branch that held the blade. She reached out, managing to brush the hilt with her fingertips.

The sword slipped out from the branches.

Misao, ignoring her wounds, lunged forward, grabbing the blade at the last second. With the sword in one hand and the other grasping the rock surface, she managed to ease herself back onto the safety of the ledge, her breath coming in short, painful gasps.

It felt as though her side had been kicked, the sudden wave of pain actually causing bright dots of light to dance before her eyes. Not wanting to waste any more time, she painstakingly began the climb back up.

The climb back up to the surface took much longer; by the time she reached the top the first tiny droplets of rain had already begun falling upon her face.

Even less time to lose. Misao quickly wrapped the sword and hurried on as fast as her body would allow.

* * *

Taking a deep breath, Aoshi attempted once more. _Clear the mind…think of nothing…_

_The feeling of her skin against his, the warm breath in his ear, the desperate grasping of their bodies, his fingers embedded in her long hair…_

Aoshi snapped out of his remembrance, cursing under his breath. It was pointless, trying to block his thoughts. Giving up all pretense of meditating, he slowly stood up and walked outside.

_Accept it…_he thought to himself…_it happened, accept it._

Out of all situations he had thought possible to happen to him, this had not been among them. The thought that he – Aoshi Shinomori – would end up being bait in a conflict that nearly cost Misao her life. The desires and longings he had fought to keep hidden even in his own thoughts had broken free, making him blind to danger he normally would have sensed. Misao had wanted to warn him, but he failed to see it. He and Misao made love at a moment's whim. Misao then merely left while he slept and nearly been killed.

Leaning against the wooden wall of the temple, he looked blankly out into the cloudy sky. It would be a lie to say he regretted what he and Misao had done. But nor had he meant for it to be so sudden. He could never express in words what it had felt to wake up, find her gone and then have to read that letter. And then seeing her by the river…wounded and acting as though she were about to jump…how she tried to comfort him after he hit her in his anger…

_Is that the reason I am in the temple for so long now? Am I trying to hide from her? _He paused, contemplating his own question. _Have I always been hiding from her?_

Taking a deep breath, he stepped away from the temple and walked back towards the Aoiya.

_I have to see her._

The sounds of the shoji sliding open echoed throughout the empty house. Aoshi stepped inside, reaching out a hand behind him to shut it. The sound of the rain outside seemed to double moments later. The awaited rainfall had begun as he left the temple; he had just managed to avoid the worst of it.

He walked towards Misao's room, slowly and with a decent bit of hesitation. Upon reaching her room, he knocked once on her door. "Misao?"

No answer.

Aoshi knocked again. Frowning slightly at getting no response, he slid open the shoji slightly, peering into her room.

The room was empty. His eyes widened in shock – he set off at a run, searching from room to room throughout the entire house, calling for her. Kitchen - empty, garden, other bedrooms, training room – Misao was nowhere to be found.

Outside –

Despite the rain, Aoshi ran outside, his eyes scanning the street –

"Shinomori-san?"

Turning around, he saw Akemi-san calling him from the doorway of her house. "Misao-san asked me to pass on a message to you…"

* * *

The sun had set; the first stars of the night had begun to shimmer. 

"I already told you, Okina." Aoshi face was impassive as he spoke, though his voice nearly exposed his impatience.

"That's –"

"That's all Akemi knew. I am sorry Okina, but all the information Misao left was that she was going away – for some time."

Shadows from the light of the candle deepened Okina's worried expression. Aoshi hoisted his traveling bag over his shoulder, "I am going after her. Alone." Okina looked up in surprise, but said nothing.

Aoshi continued. "I'm going to find her"

Okina spoke up – "what will you do then?" Aoshi hesitated. _Force her to come back home?_ _Reprimand her for causing them further worries?_ "I don't know." He finally answered. But I _will_ find her." With that, he turned away from Okina, sliding open the shoji and stepping outside.

"Aoshi!" Okina's voice called out behind him.

He turned around to see Okina standing in the doorway.

"About you and Misao…"

Aoshi involuntarily clenched his hands. He did not know, if at all, how much Okina suspected…or knew about what he and Misao had done. Or if Okina even suspected anything at all. Okina seemed to hesitate on his choice of words, then spoke in a slightly constricted voice: "Remember what you endured when you began as a ninja. Then make sure you bring her back."

Aoshi gave no sign as to whether he understood or not; he turned and walked off into the rain.

Misao sat under the thatched roof of an abandoned roadside stop, idly watching the rain fall.

Her glance traveled down to the two blades in her lap, which were now tied tightly together with a piece of metal string.

Taking in a deep breath, she lightly pressed both blades to her chest. Pulling the hood of her traveling cloak back on to shield from the rain, she rose to her feet and continued on.

Through the thin dirt path that winded between the trees, marked by a cracked branch here and torn young green leaves lying on the mud. Finally, she emerged out in the familiar clearing.

Misao stared out into the waterfall. It had taken a while, but she'd managed to find it. Just by looking she could tell that the current was strong, much more than before due to the heavy rainfall. The lack of light doubled the challange at hand. Slipping here would be worse than if she had fallen climbing the cliffside.

She put a cautious foot into the stream. The current was strong, as she had guessed it would be. A branch from a tree near the edge stretched out over the water; it must have been how Yone reached the rock. Misao tucked the swords into her belt sash, then gripped the branch with both hands for support as she stepped out further into the river. The water was an icy cold, she had to keep blinking continuously to keep the falling raindrops out of her eyes, it took all her concentration to maintain her footing.

This was it. The water level reached up to her knees, any further would be too risky.

Securing her foot against a rock on the bottom, she took one hand off the branch, and pulled out the two blades. At this moment, she stopped in hesitation, looking back at solid ground.

Misao shrieked as a bolt of lighting struck the ground behind her, far enough but still dangerously close. The flash momentarily blinded her.

The dots clouded her eyes for several long moments. Heart pounding, she maintained her grip on both blades in her hand. Breathing in short, panicked breaths, she knew she had to finish what she had come to do. She held the blades in her outstretched arm, over the churning water.

A second, distant flash of lighting briefly illuminated the area; she opened her hand and released both into the water.

The reflection on the blades was visible for only a moment. The next second they sank beneath the surface, to be dragged to the falls and thereby returned.

"Wherever you are, I hope you two are together again" Misao whispered.

Turning around, she gripped her way back to the shore. Upon climbing back on land, she dropped to one knee, exhausted and shaking. Breathing deeply, she looked up.

Only to be caught in the piercing stare of ice blue eyes.

"Misao."

Her eyes widened in shock.

"A-Aoshi…"

Aoshi stood before her, arms crossed, an unreadable expression etched on his face. They stared.

"How-how did you find…"

"You didn't cover your tracks as well this time"

Aoshi's glare softened slightly as he took in her drenched appearance. He had arrived to see her standing knee-deep in the water, he had almost shouted at her to get back, but had stopped himself, knowing if she were startled she could lose her grip and fall.

"Why did you- ?"

Not letting him finish, Misao shouted back, her pounding heart and belated sense of fear letting words spill freely from her mouth. "Why what, Aoshi? Why did I leave? Why did I take this challenge from Yone in the first place? What choice did I have? If I had told you or Jiya or anyone else, what would you all have done? Run to my defense, that's what would have happened. I had no choice, Aoshi. This was my fight and I fought it."

Aoshi watched her with slightly widened eyes. The Misao he was facing now was not the one he had seen just days ago, injured and hiding from the rest of them. Nor was it the Misao from before the whole incident. _She's changed_…_that look in her eyes…_

Aoshi moved forward so fast, Misao barely had time to react. In a second, he had pulled her into a gentle, one armed embrace. "Gomen nasai, Misao." He whispered into her hair. "I'm sorry."

After a moment's surprised hesitation, Misao slowly wrapped her arms around him, pressing herself closer to Aoshi, who in turn did not attempt to distance himself.

Her voice broke the newfound silence. "Sorry for what, Aoshi?"

His other hand settled lightly on the back of her head, holding her against his chest. "I failed to see the obvious. You were in danger and I didn't see it –"

He would have continued, but Misao stopped him by placing her fingers over his mouth. "No. Don't start blaming yourself. All this has been my doing, and you know that. I-I put you in danger, you were almost..." Misao stopped herself there, collecting her thoughts as well as possible. Aoshi waited, understanding what the heavy silence meant.

Words began anew: "I didn't feel any remorse…And I didn't for a long time. Maybe a thief just got what he deserved? But I never thought about anyone else being hurt. Not until Yone came to confront me." Misao swallowed, and then went on. "When you came back all those months ago after the fight with Shishio, I was so happy. But I also grew afraid of you-"

Aoshi finally brushed her hand away. "You were afraid of me?"

"No, Aoshi. It wasn't, well – you that scared me."

"Then what did?"

"I saw how filled with remorse you were…When you came back …I was afraid to understand that. The pain I saw in you, if I tried to focus on that I would have been forced to confront myself. That's what I was afraid of." Misao looked away. "I was angry as well, even though I never showed it. Angry that you couldn't hide how you felt, so I kept trying to make you…well, snap out of it. But that was wrong of me. I get that now, after all that's happened."

Misao realized Aoshi's grip on her shoulder was now so tight it was painful; she placed her hand over his. "But I'm-" she began. She hesitated before continuing. _But I'm not afraid anymore._ Would he understand?

It was Aoshi's turn to silence her, putting his fingers over her mouth, gently. "I know." Aoshi whispered to her. "I know. You're not afraid anymore." Misao looked at him. "How-?"

"Your eyes have changed" Aoshi looked at her, hints of a smile playing around his lips. As he talked, his hand left her shoulder, moving to the side of her face. Their lips met, once and for all.

Sometime silence spoke louder than words.

* * *

"Wake up, Misao." 

Misao murmured gently, her eyes squinting against the sunlight shining in through the thin roof. Apparently she had fallen asleep, her head resting against Aoshi's shoulder. Misao blinked up at him. "Are we going back now?"

"We don't have to" Aoshi replied, his gaze moving to her "But I thought you would rather prepare yourself"

Misao looked out at the river. It flowed gently now, glimmers of the morning sun caught on its surface. Lost in the thought, she was slightly startled to feel Aoshi stroke her hair; she looked back at him.

His face was impassive, but his hands clenched firmly on her shoulders, urging her to lie back. She did so, entwining her fingers over one of his hands. No words were spoken. None were needed.

After a few moments, Misao reached down to pick up her things, only to see that Aoshi was already carrying both their bags. She folded her arms and gave him a reproving glare, though the effect was ruined by the small grin on her face.

By late morning they had reached the main streets of the city. Soon they would be back at the Aoiya, most definitely with everyone awaiting them. Strangely enough, Misao for once felt no nerves about it, almost as though her body had exhausted its ability to do so.

Smiling at the thought, she looked away to the side. Aoshi looked straight ahead,

"Misao-?"

She had stopped a few steps behind him, looking off to the side, and an odd, startled expression on her face.

_Yone?_ It had been the briefest flicker of a second, but she was sure she had just seen Yone standing there. A ghost? – Maybe her own thoughts trying to make some sort of sense– but Misao was certain of one thing – the expression on Yone's face…

Sensing Aoshi's gaze, Misao turned back to him, and then lowered her gaze.

"Aoshi - ?" she murmured

"Yes?"

"Do they ever fade?"

There was a pause. _Remember what you endured when you began_...

"No."

Gripping her gently by the elbow, Aoshi eased her away, back towards home.

He pressed her closer as a gentle breeze started up, their feet walking over the fallen sakura blossoms.

* * *

End 


End file.
